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Seriously hear me out, Aaron Pryor may well hold the record for the most overrated fighter in boxing history!
Danny Garcia doesn't have a mind blowing resume but based on the praise that Aaron Pryor gets as an ATG, I have no choice but to also call Danny Garcia an ATG at 140, why? because he has a BETTER resume than Pryor.
First of all let's clear up the myth that they great Sugar Ray Leonard ducked Pryor. HELL NO, people only have this perception because they saw Aaron Pryor begging for attention interrupting Leonard's conferences. Aaron Pryor didn't DARE TO BE A TRUE GREAT. Leonard offered Pryor 500K to fight and he rejected because he felt he deserved more , who does he think he is? Duran (who was better known than Pryor) knew that Leonard was the big star for the first meeting but DARED TO BE GREAT by only agreeing 1.5 million compared to 10 million for Leonard but because he won earned 8 million for the rematch compared to 7 for Leonard. I know they eventually signed to fight but Leonard had to pull out through injury so it's hardly a duck, this is the guy who fought undefeated Hearns and Benitez remember. Had he not been so stubborn in negotiations the fight could have happened before Leonard's retina had issues.
Aaron Pryor was also offered a CAREER HIGH payday of 750K to fight Duran but of course turned it down, again denying the chance to have a great on his resume.
Anyway lets look at some of the notable wins on both of their resume's:
Aaron Pryor: Alexis Arguello x2- a truly great fighter at super featherweight, this is LITERALLY the only good win on his resume in my opinion and to be honest I still don't find it to be a very impressive win for someone considered the greatest 140lber in the 20th century. Like i said, Arguello was a great SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT, he was still very good but clearly past his best when this fight happened yet STILL gave him all he could handle until the 14th where he drank that, well, lets just say 'special' drink where he suddenly went super sayan on Alexis. The second win lacks relevance.
Other than that i'm really struggling to see what makes Aaron Pryor such an amazing 140lber, he beat some decent contenders like Kameda and Johnson but bear in mind this is INSTEAD of the likes of Duran and Leonard.
Danny Garcia: Kendall Holt- Very dangerous puncher. Admittedly not the best fighter by any means but you must consider this was the first fight that started the great run of wins he has been on since 2011 which will only be broken when he takes a soft touch against Salka (3 years later). He was an upcoming prospect at the time and should be commended for taking such a risk at this stage of his career, these are the type of fighters than can end the career of a once promising fighter. Just look at how Bailey ruined undefeated Mike Jones who has been idle for nearly 2 years.
Erik Morales x2- A truly great featherweight and super featherweight, like Arguello. Unquestionably past his brilliant best but clearly still a very good fighter at 140 lbs, this isn't just me claiming it, his results back it up. Nobody thought he would stand a chance vs Marcos Maidana (who is now on the biggest stage against the no.1 pound for pound) but he gave him hell and arguably drew or even just pipped him, he lost but proved he was still world class. He then whooped the undefeated Cano to win the title and this is the Morales that Garcia fought. It actually turned out to be a difficult fight for Garcia but Danny closed the show well (WITHOUT special drinks) and won his title. The second win lacks much relevance, again like Arguello vs Pryor 2.
Amir Khan- Another top fighter who was widely considered the top 140lber until losing to Peterson. However, in hindsight knowing the mystery man, drug constroversy and the fact that most people had Khan winning despite two point deductions it is fair to say Khan was still among the best , he got his WBA belt back and this fight was for the vacant RING belt. This was expected to be a easy for Khan who was frustrated after the Peterson cancellation but as we all saw Garcia knocked him out in just 4 rounds to unify the titles! you can call him a glass chin however the hard hitting knockout artist Marcos Maidana was unable to drop him so Danny Garcia should be credited for superb timing and accuracy. I would rate this as his second best win.
Zab Judah- A very unpredictable fighter, he can be on his A-game like he was against Mayweather or he can produce a poor performance like he did against Baldomir. This was a case where he was on his A-game and i'm sure we can all agree that Zab is a very dangerous fighter when on his A-game, also this fight was at 140 lbs which is his best weight class. Coming off an impressive win over previously undefeated Vernon Paris, Zab proved the naysayers wrong in the claims he was finished and leading up to the Garcia fight there was serious heat between him and the father Angel Garcia, motivating Zab Judah to perform his best which Angel admitted he wanted to do. Garcia clearly is ahead until a late fight back from Zab showing great heart and commitment, a competitive fight but a clear win for Danny.
Lucas Matthysse- Without a doubt the best win on Danny's resume and probably better than anything on Pryor's resume since he was PRIME AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. After destroying Lamont Peterson in just three rounds Lucas earned quite the reputation and many thought Danny was ducking but he brushed that notion aside by agreeing to fight him on the undercard of May-Canelo, basically the biggest stage possible as the 3-1 underdog, this was where Danny proved he is the man at 140lbs and should be given credit for putting everything on the line. A number of knowlegable fans didn't think Garcia could last 6 rounds against this beast.
Mauricio Herrera- This is the only criticism I have of Danny, it was a very tough fight which I personally had him losing by a point or 2, it was close and down to interpretation so it's understandable that the judges who are metres away from the action can see things differently. He should have rematched Herrera to win decisively but ultimately he got the close win and opted against that. Herrera is a very crafty opponent, this is the guy that beat Ruslan Provodnikov who is a dangerous opponent.
Overall it's clear that Aaron Pryor has a very limited resume for someone considered ATG at 140lbs. Danny Garcia's win over Lucas Matthysse trumps anything on his resume, his impressive upset win over Amir Khan along with solid wins over fighters such as Zab Judah, Erik Morales and Herrera. Therfore, I come to the conclusion that Danny Garcia has earned the right as an ATG at 140lbs.
Yours sincerely,
Babatunde
Danny Garcia doesn't have a mind blowing resume but based on the praise that Aaron Pryor gets as an ATG, I have no choice but to also call Danny Garcia an ATG at 140, why? because he has a BETTER resume than Pryor.
First of all let's clear up the myth that they great Sugar Ray Leonard ducked Pryor. HELL NO, people only have this perception because they saw Aaron Pryor begging for attention interrupting Leonard's conferences. Aaron Pryor didn't DARE TO BE A TRUE GREAT. Leonard offered Pryor 500K to fight and he rejected because he felt he deserved more , who does he think he is? Duran (who was better known than Pryor) knew that Leonard was the big star for the first meeting but DARED TO BE GREAT by only agreeing 1.5 million compared to 10 million for Leonard but because he won earned 8 million for the rematch compared to 7 for Leonard. I know they eventually signed to fight but Leonard had to pull out through injury so it's hardly a duck, this is the guy who fought undefeated Hearns and Benitez remember. Had he not been so stubborn in negotiations the fight could have happened before Leonard's retina had issues.
Aaron Pryor was also offered a CAREER HIGH payday of 750K to fight Duran but of course turned it down, again denying the chance to have a great on his resume.
Anyway lets look at some of the notable wins on both of their resume's:
Aaron Pryor: Alexis Arguello x2- a truly great fighter at super featherweight, this is LITERALLY the only good win on his resume in my opinion and to be honest I still don't find it to be a very impressive win for someone considered the greatest 140lber in the 20th century. Like i said, Arguello was a great SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT, he was still very good but clearly past his best when this fight happened yet STILL gave him all he could handle until the 14th where he drank that, well, lets just say 'special' drink where he suddenly went super sayan on Alexis. The second win lacks relevance.
Other than that i'm really struggling to see what makes Aaron Pryor such an amazing 140lber, he beat some decent contenders like Kameda and Johnson but bear in mind this is INSTEAD of the likes of Duran and Leonard.
Danny Garcia: Kendall Holt- Very dangerous puncher. Admittedly not the best fighter by any means but you must consider this was the first fight that started the great run of wins he has been on since 2011 which will only be broken when he takes a soft touch against Salka (3 years later). He was an upcoming prospect at the time and should be commended for taking such a risk at this stage of his career, these are the type of fighters than can end the career of a once promising fighter. Just look at how Bailey ruined undefeated Mike Jones who has been idle for nearly 2 years.
Erik Morales x2- A truly great featherweight and super featherweight, like Arguello. Unquestionably past his brilliant best but clearly still a very good fighter at 140 lbs, this isn't just me claiming it, his results back it up. Nobody thought he would stand a chance vs Marcos Maidana (who is now on the biggest stage against the no.1 pound for pound) but he gave him hell and arguably drew or even just pipped him, he lost but proved he was still world class. He then whooped the undefeated Cano to win the title and this is the Morales that Garcia fought. It actually turned out to be a difficult fight for Garcia but Danny closed the show well (WITHOUT special drinks) and won his title. The second win lacks much relevance, again like Arguello vs Pryor 2.
Amir Khan- Another top fighter who was widely considered the top 140lber until losing to Peterson. However, in hindsight knowing the mystery man, drug constroversy and the fact that most people had Khan winning despite two point deductions it is fair to say Khan was still among the best , he got his WBA belt back and this fight was for the vacant RING belt. This was expected to be a easy for Khan who was frustrated after the Peterson cancellation but as we all saw Garcia knocked him out in just 4 rounds to unify the titles! you can call him a glass chin however the hard hitting knockout artist Marcos Maidana was unable to drop him so Danny Garcia should be credited for superb timing and accuracy. I would rate this as his second best win.
Zab Judah- A very unpredictable fighter, he can be on his A-game like he was against Mayweather or he can produce a poor performance like he did against Baldomir. This was a case where he was on his A-game and i'm sure we can all agree that Zab is a very dangerous fighter when on his A-game, also this fight was at 140 lbs which is his best weight class. Coming off an impressive win over previously undefeated Vernon Paris, Zab proved the naysayers wrong in the claims he was finished and leading up to the Garcia fight there was serious heat between him and the father Angel Garcia, motivating Zab Judah to perform his best which Angel admitted he wanted to do. Garcia clearly is ahead until a late fight back from Zab showing great heart and commitment, a competitive fight but a clear win for Danny.
Lucas Matthysse- Without a doubt the best win on Danny's resume and probably better than anything on Pryor's resume since he was PRIME AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. After destroying Lamont Peterson in just three rounds Lucas earned quite the reputation and many thought Danny was ducking but he brushed that notion aside by agreeing to fight him on the undercard of May-Canelo, basically the biggest stage possible as the 3-1 underdog, this was where Danny proved he is the man at 140lbs and should be given credit for putting everything on the line. A number of knowlegable fans didn't think Garcia could last 6 rounds against this beast.
Mauricio Herrera- This is the only criticism I have of Danny, it was a very tough fight which I personally had him losing by a point or 2, it was close and down to interpretation so it's understandable that the judges who are metres away from the action can see things differently. He should have rematched Herrera to win decisively but ultimately he got the close win and opted against that. Herrera is a very crafty opponent, this is the guy that beat Ruslan Provodnikov who is a dangerous opponent.
Overall it's clear that Aaron Pryor has a very limited resume for someone considered ATG at 140lbs. Danny Garcia's win over Lucas Matthysse trumps anything on his resume, his impressive upset win over Amir Khan along with solid wins over fighters such as Zab Judah, Erik Morales and Herrera. Therfore, I come to the conclusion that Danny Garcia has earned the right as an ATG at 140lbs.
Yours sincerely,
Babatunde
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